Bakery in Soave (where the castle was located)

After viewing the castle we walked out students to a park, for lunch, and along the way, we encountered this bakery.  This sign basically says that this bread is a traditional bread of Soave.  One of the parent volunteers bought some and shared it.  It was like puffy crackers.  Dry with almost no taste.  It was nothing like what you would have expected

Here are some other bread choices in the window display at this above bakery.  I really wanted to try the whole grain bread rolls or the bishop hat style bread  rolls to the left of that basket.

Lots of nice choices.  However, I was watching a group of children and taking them into the bakery wasn't part of the field trip. 

I can't decide if these are: hands?  Sea life? 

Mama mia... it's a Pizza Pie...

Fresh, cooked in a brick pizza oven pizza.... I have:  an amazing ham (not sure which specific type of ham this was- but, it was far better than your average ham), spicy sausages and artichokes.  YUMMY!

The other day was another one of those LONG days at work. I'd stayed until after 6pm and as I was driving home, I decided to stop and get a pizza.   I can read about 50% of the food items on menus... The pizza places here have 70 or more different types of pizzas.  So, I read though and decided on this pizza.  It also had mushrooms as one of the ingredients- but, while I like mushrooms- I wasn't in the mood for them and truthfully, I sometimes PICK them off my pizza anyway.

When they delivered my pizza to the counter... they opened it up with a flourish and I almost laughed out loud- not because of the way that my pizza was 'arranged' but... it reminded me of the first meal that I had in Italy... the first time that I lived in Italy (this is the 3rd time that I've been here and  in the 3rd place).

I had just gotten to the hotel from the airport and since...
I had arrived on a weekend and I didn't know anyone nor did anyone from work pick me up at the airport- I had ridden a bus to our little town from the airport.  I walked from my hotel to the center of the little town where I was... looking for a place to get something to eat.  While walking about; I ran across 3 military guys who were there TDY (the military version of a business trip) and when they saw me they asked me if I knew of a place to get something to eat- that they'd just arrived and were out looking for something to eat.  I told them that I was doing the same thing.. so, we looked around at the town square (not a restaurant in sight- but, gelato was sold).   I finally saw a sign, down this narrow street, barely protruding from the stone wall of this at least 500 year old building.   The road was barely big enough for us to walk 'two abreast.'   Apparently when this building was built-- you didn't need to build roads very wide for horses and walkers. 


The name of the place??
The HOLE IN THE WALL!   So, we shrugged and agreed to give it a try... after all, nothing else was around and we were hungry.

We went into the place and since it was August, they had outdoor seating; as almost every place in Italy does.  So, we sat down... and the menus were produced.  Of course, none of us could read Italian...

We all opted to order different pizzas so that we could share 'in case' one was really bad- but, we figured 'hey, it's pizza...and we are in Italy how bad can it be?'

All of our pizzas arrived and everyone of them... had their ingredients... arranged in blobs covering the top of the pizza.  A blob of ham, a blob of onions, a blob of olives, a blob of ................   Just a pile of each ingredient.  None of the ingredients dared to touch, and nothing was even spread out in the blobs.  We figured it was made by one of those people that didn't want their FOOD TOUCHING!   AND by golly he was going to help the customers see the VALUE in 'no food touching!'

We laughed so much and this continued through the entire meal.  One guy had gotten some sort of pizza that had at least 6 different ingredients and sure enough... every ingredient had it's own little "King of the Hill" action going on top of the cheese!  

So, this pizza when they opened it up... and I saw the divided little sections... it brought back that memory of my first Italian meal when I first moved to Italy. 

At least my pizza has the ingredients spread out in the quadrants?  Well, in the 'tri' areas since I opted not to get the mushrooms.

The box doesn't show this... but, this is a one person serving.   The pizza, when you sit down to eat it in the restaurants, is so big that it falls off your huge dinner plate (a pizza plate really), it is served 'un-cut', and the price?  I paid $5.50 for that pizza and it will feed me 3 meals.

Pizza here is so good that the first time that I lived in Italy... and when I moved???  I refused to eat any pizza for a year.  I just wish that everyone could have a chance to eat pizza as it was meant to be eaten... after all... they did invent pizza here and they know how to do it!! 

Castle grounds...

The caretaker's home at the Soave castle.  This is where you paid the entrance fee- but, it was also clearly someone's home.  Look at the wild roses on top of the patio area.   In Italy, you will see something like this at homes and small restaurants.  Usually, it is grapes, wisteria, or other flowers that form vines.  This is the first time that I've seen roses being used.   I wonder how old the roses are?

You can see the main trunk of the roses that are on top of the patio area.  This is an old well.  Do you see the pulley where the rope would have been placed?

I thought that the wrought iron work was beautiful.  Can you see the 2 different paths?  The one closest to the roses is the one that we walked up after we entered the castle near where the draw bridge was located.  The one to the left of the photo?  The gate was locked so who knows where on the castle grounds it went to?  There were cobblestones on the path.

Photos of Soave Castle (Italy)

The backside of the drawbridge.  When we entered the castle; we walked in on the drawbridge.

Another entrance (smaller) with a drawbridge.  You can see the town area, through the entrance,  that is within the walled city of the castle property.

A fresco still painted on the walls.  The shield/ symbol of the original family is a ladder.  *IF I'm not mistaken; that is what this family's last name meant?   Usually, you see:  lions, dragons, and other fierce images on shields and crests. 

This is 'inside' the dungeon looking up to the 4th or 5th floor where the trap door is located.  Do you see the wooden door all the way up?  We couldn't go to that level.  However, long ago... enemies or people that had betrayed the ruler were brought before him and if he thought that they were lying or had turned against him--- the trap door opened and the 'person' dropped down to the dungeon.  There wasn't any way to get out of the dungeon and people were left there to die.  In recent history, they made an opening on the ground level that led to the dungeon room (which is the way that we entered the dungeon) and they did find some bones and all that is left is just a dirt floor.

Here's my class and some parents 'on our visit' into the dungeon!   oooh scary!  It was very dark inside even w/ the stone doorway opening behind us.

One of my favorite parts about the whole castle.  At the bottom of the stone steps leading to the private areas of the leader/ruler who lived in the castle through the years... was this dog statue holding the family crest/shield.   He was the TOP DOG!

As you walked up these stairs there were different soldiers positioned along the stone steps.

This is a view of some of the vineyards seen surrounding the castle from the first tier of the stone wall next to the castle.  This area is surrounded by vineyards.   This wine, from Soave is a well known and exported wine.

Soave Castle... northern Italy

http://www.castellodisoave.it/castellosoave_ing/castellosoave_home.html

The view as we approached the castle and taken from the school bus window.  The castle has 3 different walled courtyards as part of the 'defense' system.

This is the entrance and it also happens to be a 'drawbridge' (see the opening in the brick?  That's where the drawbridge would have been raised and lowered.)

This is at the top of the Drawbridge entrance.  It is St. George slaying the dragon.

The castle is over 700 years old.  This shape is the original parts of the castle- tops like this 'indicate' a bishop's hat and when the castle was first built - it was under the leadership of the church.

The actual name of the family that owned the castle later on- (hundreds of years ago and it still belongs to this family now) and I think (IF I am remembering correctly- that it belonged to 3 different families?)  This building appeared to be the 'care-takers' quarters and it was clear that someone was still living in it- curtains were at the windows/etc.  The front side is where you paid your entrance fee/s.

This is a later built wall... (one of the 3 different walls/courtyards) and it is this shape to stand for the 'king's crown' so at this time... the castle was no longer under the rule of the church.

We were only able to go up to one wall and look out- there are 3 different levels.   Do you see the holes in the middle of those rectangle shapes at the top of the wall?  The typical way that kids/adults draw castle walls?   Well, the small opening inside the 'rectangle shapes'... is so that the archers could stand behind and aim at the enemy- but, the narrow opening meant that it was difficult for anyone on the ground to have a good chance of 'hitting/injuring/killing' anyone up on the castle wall.   I do have a photo that shows what these look like on the inside looking down.

This week, the second grade classes at my school got to go on a great field trip to a castle that is only about 25 minutes from the school.  How cool is that?  The castle is still standing and so are the castle walls surrounding the town that was part of the castle complex long ago.   I'll post some more photos of the castle on another blog post.

Castles... and visits

Yesterday, the second graders at my school went on a Field Trip to visit a Castle!  

I left my camera at school- so, I have no photos to download for my blog post.  I'll remember to bring it home tomorrow so I can share some photos. 

Wisteria season in my little part of northern Italy....

A house in my little town.  Wish it was my rental house; but, it's not.  What a lovely walkway.

Along the road in my little town.

Across the street 'just a bit'... this entire block is covered with blooming wisteria along the fence.  A few days prior... it was just flowers.

Inside the yard of the above 'fence' full of blooming wisteria... It looks so peaceful to me.

See the yellow building to the left?  That's the local place that had the great food and where I was the only female eating lunch with about 60 strangers; all men!  Blogged about in the April (spring break) 2013 entries. 

A house no longer being lived in... one of those old villa type houses.  This is in my little town.  A place that I get pizza is to the left of this fence.

One of the 'roundabouts' that I drive through every morning and afternoon.  This is in front of an old huge house.  I think that long ago- it might have not been around any other buildings and maybe part of the processing buildings of a vineyard or olive oil?  It's not just a regular huge house though. 

Another house in my little town.  I saw lots of blooming wisteria all around. 

Sometimes you'll even see wisteria trained as a covering for 'outdoor' eating areas.  It's been woven through wooden or wire supports and after the flowers fade... the nice thick leaves provide summer shade for those enjoying their meals outside.

I found far more examples than the photos that I took- but, it's not always easy to find a place to park to stop and take photos. 

If you haven't noticed... the houses/apartments all have fences.  They are usually wrought iron fences and often they are very old with amazing designs in them.